''Based on a past deal, Mr. Smith suggests that Teck may aim to acquire 20% of the project become the operator, and be amenable to equity partners, which could be Asian. Mr. Smith cites the Antamina mine, where BHP and Xtrata each have 33.75% interests alongside operator Teck’s 22.5%. He states that all serious potential equity partners are informed of the project’s status.''
Mike is stating that Teck may aim to acquire 20% and become the operator, and that they would be amenable to equity partners.
He's just saying exactly what we've thought all along that Teck will buy out the whole project to get operator status and be able to sell off portions of it to their partners of choice. I wonder who is keeping those potential equity partners informed? Us or Teck? It is a very strange choice of words if we're the ones keeping them informed since they would not be our equity partners. If it's Teck, then it certainly implies that Mike is aware of serious, imminent intentions from Teck.